Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Article Revisit: I Have a Bad Feeling About 2016

Bryan Van Dusen wrote this almost exactly one year ago about the 2016 season. Did he get it right? You have to think he did in a lot of cases so enjoy this article revisit from October of 2015 and check in on the original post HERE. Enjoy.

I want to be optimistic about next season. I really do. This is especially true after the team got my hopes up in the 1st half of the season, only to stumble into the Wild Card game. It also doesn't help that I'm not a patient person. But, alas, I don't have a good feeling about 2016.

"I've been looking through this thing for hours, and I still don't see anything good."

While there are teams that were good, and could very well get better next year, the Yankees are not one of them. Let's face it... the team is unlikely to change.

Let's start by taking a look at players that are either under contract or team control, and will probably be regulars in the starting lineup....

The only position that's not set right now is 2nd base, and while anybody would be better than giving Stephen Drew another 428 plate appearances, chances are it won't make much difference.

Drew's bWAR this past season was 0.3, while Ben Zobrist had the highest bWAR among upcoming free agent 2nd basemen at 2.9. For argument's sake, let's say Zobrist would be worth 3 more wins thanks to the upgrade. That would give the Yankees 90 wins, which would probably not be good enough to win the division, leading to another winner-take-all Wild Card game.

No thanks.

Speaking of improving at one position, and the team getting better, you have to assume the other eight hitters produce like they did this past season. That's no certainty.

Carlos Beltran's poor 2014 season for the Yankees was easily his worst since 2005, which could simply mean it was an aberration. But the guy will turn 39 in April. I don't think his best case scenario next year is to be better. No, his best case scenario is to simply not be to be any worse.

Then we have Alex Rodriguez, who may be healthier now than he's been in years. Along with that he might not be as dumb as he once was, either. But you know what would be more surprising than his 2015 season was? Him having a better 2016 season. Again, like Beltran, his best case scenario for next year is probably that he doesn't get worse.

Next we have Mark Teixeira. Sure, Mark is not exactly old, as he'll turn 36 in April. Then again, he's far from being part of the Yankees' youth movement. So I can't really buy into that 146 OPS+ continuing for another season. Mark's slugging percentage was over .500 for the first time since 2009, and that's easily where the largest chunk of his value comes from. If that power goes back to the 2010-2012 levels (average SLG of .484), then we're going to hear much more about his defense next year than his offense.

When it comes to players that are unlikely to improve next year, you can add Brian McCann, Brett Gardner, and Didi Gregorius.

McCann's OPS+ of 107, while better than the 93 he put up last year, was still pretty darn low for him considering the fact that it was 118 the year before joining the Yankees. That might make you think he could be better, but it's hard for me to believe somebody on the wrong side of 30 is going to get better. It's possible, but hard to count on.

Gardner's OPS+ of 105 was lower than the 110 he put up in each of the previous two seasons, but he's actually older than McCann is. Brett's game relies on his legs, and in case you aren't aware, a person's legs tend to get worse as they get older... not better.

I'm a fan of Didi Gregorius, but that doesn't mean I'm fooling myself into thinking he's a future All Star. Despite Yankees fans generally being pleased with their new shortstop, Didi's OPS+ was still only 90. His batting average of .265 was well above the .226 he had in 2014, while his slugging percentage was about the same (.370 vs. .373). So the only place I can see him getting better is in the on-base percentage department, which won't do a whole lot of good when he's hitting at the bottom of the lineup.

But it's not all bad. I believe Chase Headley and Jacoby Ellsbury can hit better.

"I knew he couldn't stay negative for long."

"Hold on, buddy."

The days of Headley finishing in the top 5 of MVP voting are long over with. So while he could improve upon that 92 OPS+ he had this season, it likely won't get much higher than the 101 he put up in 2014. At the same time, there's a good chance Ellsbury's OPS+ is better than the 84 he put up this year, but will probably not get any higher than the 110 he put up the previous season.

So you can take that smug look of yours and... use your imagination.

I think that about covers the offensive side of things. So how about the starting rotation?

The good news is that the starting rotation for next season already has plenty of options... Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia, Nathan Eovaldi, Luis Severino, Ivan Nova, Adam Warren, Bryan Mitchell. Yeah, I said it has plenty of options. I didn't say those options make for a strong rotation.

I will admit to feeling pretty good about Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino. However, those guys are not a strong 1-2 at the top of the rotation. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad up there, but you have to wonder what will happen with Severino after the league sees him a little more. Plus, Tanaka's strikeout rate went down quite a bit (9.3 K/9 in 2014 to 8.1 K/9 in 2015).

Despite having an ERA of 5.80 in the second half, I think Michael Pineda should be a solid starter next season. Will he be a #2 like some of us thought going into this season? I'm not holding out a ton of hope. But I believe he'd make a really good #4.

Those three guys would make me comfortable in the 2-4 spots in the rotation, but as of now we're looking at 1-3. Which leaves the last two spots for Sabathia (2015: 4.73 ERA), Nova (2015: 5.07 ERA), Mitchell (5.13 ERA in his MLB career, and only 3 starts), Eovaldi (has given up 10 or more hits per 9 innings in his past two seasons), and Warren.

I'm going to give Adam Warren his own paragraph, because he may very well be the only player on the 2016 Yankees that actually helps make the team better. Adam's got a 3.98 ERA in 20 MLB starts. Now, his strikeout rate is a tad low as a starter (6.4 K/9), but I think it may be time to see what the guy can do. Heck, he's already 28 years old, so it's time to put up or shut up with him.

Oh, and speaking of pitcher, I loved reading about Jeff Samardzija. Not because I think he's awesome, but because the Division Series has just started. Let's at least wait until the World Series is over before we start spreading rumors around.

The fact of the matter is that unless Brian Cashman is able to trade away an outfielder to open up a spot for somebody like Jason Heyward, along with making room for even a Jeff Samardzija or... oh would this be nice... David Price, then you're unlikely to see me be very optimistic before Opening Day.

I'm sure to try, as the Yankees may only add another reliever or two, but a stronger bullpen is not going to turn this team from one that barely makes the postseason to one that is a true World Series contender.

4 comments:

Not for nothing but I can say I said basically said all those things during the winter and before the start of the season. If and I say a big if because some people on here don't get it that you don't need to be a brain surgeon to see talent or lack there of. This team is in no better position today as it was last year at this time.

The kids were a big improvement, however the misuse of the kids is alarming. We have one pitcher that we can count on which is Tanaka. Every pitcher after that is a train wreck waiting to happen. Again I say there is a need to spend money and I don't buy Reed's argument about getting below the salary cap because there is no such thing as a salary cap in baseball. I believe Mr. Reed is referencing the tax threshold which taxes us significantly.

Business 101 Reed you need to spend money to make money and as Burch pointed out in his GS article it was clearly stated that George knew what he had to do. Did he do it wisely all the time....No but he understand the economics of putting a winner on the table. His son is tightwad that has no intention of spending whether we are below or above the tax threshold. He can go on all the radio stations and tv shows and newspaper reporters he wants and tell the fans what they want to hear. Actions speak louder than words.

When the Mets are the relevant story in NY baseball then you know there are issues, and GS would never allow the Met's to have the primetime. It's time for the Steinbrenner's to sell this franchise because frankly Hal doesn't care about this team, just lining his pockets with the Benjamin's.

I agree with much of what you say Ken H. No surprise at all!1) We are in better condition for 2017...but, not enough!2) Many players are a flash in the pan and are thought of as coming stars by those that can't see the base player, only what he has done for a short time.3) Pitching is not a train wreck, we do have some talent, not studs.4) Tax Threshold or Cap...I like to shorten names, sorry "bout that!5) At this time in the history of the Yankees, it is time to start from the beginning...not spend money unless they can get someone by subtracting money elsewhere!6) George's way will not work anymore, not if one wants to have a winning team for more than one or two years. Examples are all over the league.7) IF Hal does things the right way (in my opinion) he will get under the cap (it will go up this year) then get the players he needs. If not, I quit as it will no longer be the Yankees. Sell the damn team Hal! Don't use the team to support you and your sister and brother along with the extended families.

Ken we agree on many things, we just have a different way of going about it.

You are right K. H. but, we want the same thing, just have a different way of how to go about it.Until it is done, we will not know who was right will we...hell, we all (those of us on this site) could be right...or, wrong!Have a good one!